


rules are meant to be broken

by foxerica (ericaismeg)



Series: stiles/derek ficlets [28]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Adults, Alternate Universe - Human, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends With Benefits, Happy Ending, Implied Sexual Content, Light Angst, M/M, Mentioned Kate Argent, Minor Allison Argent/Isaac Lahey/Scott McCall, Minor Cora Hale/Lydia Martin, Minor Vernon Boyd/Erica Reyes, Past Kate Argent/Derek Hale, Texting, fuck buddies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-12
Updated: 2018-11-12
Packaged: 2019-08-22 09:33:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16595327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ericaismeg/pseuds/foxerica
Summary: Stiles and Derek’s Fuck Buddy Rules1. This is about sex and nothing else. No personal attachments or emotions involved. If that changes, the fuck buddy relationship should be terminated as soon as possible to avoid one party getting hurt.2. No kissing. Kissing is too intimate.3. No sleepovers under any circumstances. If one party cannot get home, the other party will order an Uber for them.4. No booty calls before 9pm. Texting is limited to booty calls only. No future plans should be made ever; they must always be spontaneous. If one party is unavailable or does not want a booty call, they do not owe the other party an explanation. A simple thumbs-down emoji will suffice.5. Both parties can end the arrangement for any reason without explanation at any time. Both parties will delete the other’s phone number and cease all contact. If one wishes to resume the fuck buddy relationship after a break, they can send ONE (1) message via SnapChat or Instagram and the rules can be renegotiated at that time.





	rules are meant to be broken

**Author's Note:**

> sex is implied but i suck at sex scenes sooooo there aren't any sex scenes and i'm sorry for that

 

 

**_Stiles and Derek’s Fuck Buddy Rules_ **

 

  1. This is about sex and nothing else. No personal attachments or emotions involved. If that changes, the fuck buddy relationship should be terminated as soon as possible to avoid one party getting hurt.
  2. No kissing. Kissing is too intimate.
  3. No sleepovers under any circumstances. If one party cannot get home, the other party will order an Uber for them.
  4. No booty calls before 9 pm. Texting is limited to booty calls only. No future plans should be made ever; they must always be spontaneous. If one party is unavailable or does not want a booty call, they do not owe the other party an explanation. A simple thumbs-down emoji will suffice.
  5. Both parties can end the arrangement for any reason without explanation at any time. Both parties will delete the other’s phone number and cease all contact. If one wishes to resume the fuck buddy relationship after a break, they can send ONE (1) message via SnapChat or Instagram and the rules can be renegotiated at that time.



 

**☆ ☾ ☆**

 

It starts with the end of a very bad day, shared shots of whiskey at a dive bar, and a terrible pickup line that has never worked in the past. Hell, it hasn’t even gotten a laugh before. But Stiles watches as Derek’s eyes light up in amusement and doesn’t argue when he buys them another round of shots. Stiles isn’t sure how this handsome man could possibly be single _and_ interested, but Derek asks to take him home that night and Stiles doesn’t want to jinx it.

They don’t talk or hold hands on the short walk to Derek’s apartment, but Stiles doesn’t mind. He isn’t in the mood to talk anyway. Nothing happens until Derek leads him into his bedroom. The door shuts and suddenly, Stiles is being pressed against it. His knees go weak the second Derek’s tongue runs across his exposed collarbone. He lets one moan slip past his lips and the next thing he knows, they’re on the bed. Derek is stripping his clothes off until he’s only in his briefs, heat in his eyes, and Stiles can’t wait to get his hands on Derek’s stunning body.

“You want this?” Derek asks.

Stiles can only nod; his mouth has gone dry.

It’s the beginning of something special. Stiles doesn’t know what for sure, but he feels it in his gut. He yanks his shirts off and tosses them to the side. Derek reaches forward to help Stiles with the zipper of his jeans.

Stiles’ heart races with anticipation.

 

**☆ ☾ ☆**

 

Months later, with a satisfied smirk, Stiles collapses on the bed beside Derek. His chest rises and falls quickly with each pant. Eyes on the ceiling in an attempt to ground himself back to this world, Stiles blindly reaches over to gently slap Derek’s chests with some pats. “That, my buddy, was some of your _finest_ work.”

He doesn’t hear Derek’s laugh, but feels it under his palm. Stiles is struck with the urge to roll over and tuck himself into the crook of Derek’s arm so he can rest his ear on Derek’s chest. He tries his best to push the idea away; that’s not what this relationship is about. But he hopes that Derek’s heart beats just as fast as his own.

Derek sets a hand over Stiles’ and curls his fingers slightly around. “Not too shabby yourself, Stilinski. Did you learn a new move? Because we’ve never done that before.”

“I’ve expanded my PornHub searches,” Stiles admits without a drop of shame. He rolls the back of his head on the pillow to look at Derek’s profile. What a beautiful, beautiful man. And Stiles gets to have sex with him on a regular basis. He smiles; Derek being his fuck buddy has been the best thing that’s ever happened to him.

“Oh?”

“Yeah. And then I did some extensive research,” Stiles tells him. His eyes trace Derek’s profile from his messy sex hair to the stubble on his jaw. “Did you enjoy it?”

“Do you really have to ask?” Derek says, but Stiles hears the amusement in his voice. He turns his head back to stare at the ceiling. He never thought he’d be here, like this, with someone before. Stiles feels _relaxed._ He feels calm. None of his usual anxieties or racing thoughts exist when Derek’s around. Derek sexs him up so well that everything slows down.

“You can’t toss me a bone over here?”

“I think I’ve already done that with you tonight. Twice.” They share a small laugh in the dimly lit bedroom.

For a moment, Stiles wonders what it’d be like to stay here like this for the rest of the night. Does Derek like cuddling in his sleep? Does he snore? He probably sleeps like a rock. Stiles has struggled with sleep for most of his life; he feels a tinge of envy that Derek might sleep soundly.

He pulls his hand out of Derek’s grip and sits upright. “Well, I’m going to clean up and then I’ll be out of your hair.”

In a tone Stiles can’t place, Derek says, “That _is_ Rule Three.”

The air feels a little tense, so Stiles dramatically rolls across Derek’s body before managing to stand upright on the floor. Derek groans loudly, but Stiles knows he loves it. He throws his thumb over his shoulder. “Should I use the fire escape tonight or…?”

“Yeah. You woke Jackson up when you shut the door last time.”

“Towel?”

“Chair.”

Stiles spies it under his t-shirt and wraps the soft material around his waist. Derek has the softest towels. He tiptoes across the hall to the bathroom. After he washes up, he makes his way into Derek’s room again. Stiles pulls on his pants, jumping in them a little, and zips them closed. He grabs his t-shirt and yanks it over his head. “Tonight was fun, Hale. Thanks for inviting me over.”

Derek gives him a lazy smile, his hand tucked behind his head. “Thanks for coming over. I’ll see you around?”

Stiles is pretty sure they’ll see each other tomorrow night, _but_ not making future plans is part of Rule Four. He gives Derek a salute after his socks and shoes are on.

“See you around, Derek.”

Stiles pops open the window and climbs out onto the fire escape. He gently lowers it, taking one last glance at Derek in his bed. Derek’s rolled over so his back is to Stiles, which is just as well. Watching the other leave is too intimate.

As quietly as he can, Stiles makes his way down the fire escape staircase and orders an Uber when he gets out to the road. It only occurs to him when he gets home and strips down that he left his boxers somewhere in Derek’s room. He smiles; he’ll get them another time.

 

**☆ ☾ ☆**

 

They don’t end up seeing each other for over a week. When Derek texts him for a booty call, Stiles is called into work one night and dealing with a broken-hearted Lydia the next. Then when Stiles tries to booty call Derek, he gets a sad face emoji in response and nothing else.

It means when they’re finally together again, neither of them bother with pleasantries and greetings. This time, Derek comes to him. Stiles drags him into his bedroom by clutching a fistful of Derek’s shirt. His roommates, Scott and Lydia, don’t seem fazed by the sight.

Stiles presses his lips to Derek’s neck the second they’re in his room and then everything moves with quick, fiery heat.

He can’t get enough of Derek’s body. Not only is he sculpted like a beautiful Greek god, but he’s soft in some places, _and_ has the most incredible dick. Stiles would wax poetry about Derek’s dick if he didn’t think that would be against the rules. And Derek’s mouth. _Damn._ Derek knows how to use his mouth. It’s as if he’s trained specifically to make Stiles feel like puddy.

And not for the first time, Stiles wonders what it’d be like to break Rule Two. He bets Derek’s a great kisser; he’s a master at everything else. It only makes sense he’d be able to kiss a person until they can’t think straight.

Instead though, Stiles asks Derek if he wants to have some shower sex before he goes.

“I feel like shower sex is _always_ disappointing,” Derek murmurs. “We can try though.”

“It’s just… I’ve never had shower sex with someone before,” Stiles admits. “It was an idea, but--”

“Let’s do it then.”

Stiles grins when Derek takes his hand and opens the door. He stifles a laugh, because his friends will kill him if he wakes them up _again,_ and yanks Derek back into his room. “Dude, you’re naked. We literally walked past my roommates on our way in.”

“We did?” Derek asks, blinking as if he needs a minute to process this. He smiles. “Sorry, I guess I didn’t notice. They must think I’m rude.”

Stiles laughs now. “I don’t think they care.”

“I was too busy thinking about getting you wet,” Derek murmurs.

He rolls his eyes, but Stiles’ heart quickens. He loves that he can make someone like Derek go a little nuts. He’s never had that in any of his previous relationships. Not that _this_ is a relationship. It’s strictly about sex. They’re fuck buddies. A repetitive one-night-stand with the same person.

Stiles tosses Derek a towel and tugs on a pair of his boxers. They sneak across the apartment and into the bathroom. Before the door is even locked, Derek pushes Stiles against it. _His favourite thing._ Derek presses soft kisses all over Stiles’ chest.

He’s weak for this man.

 

By the time they’ve had some fairly decent shower sex, Stiles is _exhausted._ He can’t help but smile at Derek drying himself off with a new towel though. He props a foot up on the closed toilet and leans forward to rub the towel up and down his leg. Stiles swallows hard.

There’s simply something extra sexy about seeing water droplets run down Derek’s back.

“That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

He hates that he sounds insecure.

“Best shower sex I’ve ever had,” Derek answers without looking up at Stiles. He switches legs. “I’m glad you like the water hot though.”

Stiles beams. He likes when Derek likes the things they do together. Before Derek, Stiles hadn’t had a lot of experience. He hadn’t been a virgin, but he hadn’t exactly slept around a lot. Now, he feels comfortably asking Derek if they can try new things. Last week, Derek had brought sex toys into play and Stiles had gone _wild._

He runs a hand through his wet hair before wrapping the towel around his waist. He’s never felt as comfortable with someone like he has with Derek. There’s no real concern for judgement, but sometimes, Stiles likes to check in just in case. He wants to be as good for Derek as Derek is for him.

“I’m glad we could finally see each other again,” Stiles whispers. He hopes that doesn’t break any rules.

“Me too. It was a long week.” Derek wraps the towel around his waist. He meets Stiles’ eyes for a moment before nodding towards the door. “It’s late; I should be heading home.”

 _Stay,_ Stiles wants to say. But that’s a direct violation of at least two rules, so he doesn’t. They make their way back into his bedroom, and he sits on his bed to watch Derek change into his clothes.

Derek checks his cell phone, a frown forming on his lips, and his eyebrows drawing together. He huffs before shoving it into the pocket of his jeans.

 _Everything okay?_ Stiles could ask. But they don’t talk about anything personal. This relationship is about dick. Nothing else. _Really._

“I think my parking meter ended like fifteen minutes ago,” Derek tells him.

“I’ll see you around.”

“Definitely.”

And then Derek breaks Rule Two. He leans down and gently presses his lips against Stiles’ before jumping back. Without a word, Derek rushes out of the room. Stiles is frozen.

Derek kissed him. He… he kissed him. Not a passionate kiss or an can’t-get-enough-of-you kiss. Not even a kiss for foreplay. But a short and sweet goodbye kiss as if they do it every morning before going off to work.

Stiles lifts a hand to barely touch his lips.

“What the fuck?”

 

**☆ ☾ ☆**

 

“I don’t see what the big deal is,” Scott says, reaching across the table to steal a fry from Stiles’ plate. “So, Booty Call kissed you. You’ve been sleeping together for like, what, six months now?”

Stiles quickly does the math in his head and murmurs, “Uh, ten, actually.”

Scott stills in surprise before shrugging. “Okay, _ten_ months. Quite frankly, it’s weird you haven’t kissed before.”

“Yeah. How exactly did you guys hook up the first time without kissing?” Erica asks. She presses her lips together, studying Stiles’ plate before she plucks a fry from it.

Stiles stares down at his food; he’s not very hungry anyway. “I don’t know. We just didn’t. When we got back to his place, it was all about getting naked and mouths were suddenly preoccupied. And then, the next time we saw each other, we came up with our rules. Kissing is intimate. We are not. It’s meaningless sex.”

“I don’t get why you’d want that,” Scott murmurs. He steals another fry. “Meaningless sex will never compare to sex with someone you care about. I mean, honestly. There’s nothing better than having sex with someone you love and cherish and--”

“Before Scott starts reciting poetry about Allison,” Erica interrupts. “I think Scott sort of has a point. I mean, you know me. I was all about meaningless sex. But then I found Boyd and things are different. A _good_ different. It just brings it up a level or something.”

“Okay, but you and Boyd had a one-night-stand while he was in town visiting a friend, and then you spent three months trying to locate him, and when you did, he _moved across the country_ to be with you.” Stiles gives her a pointed look. “You are an anomaly. People don’t move across the country to be with someone they slept with once.”

“Yeah, but look how well things worked out. And besides, Boyd and I kissed. A lot.” Erica gives him a smirk. “And any excuse to remind you guys that my love story will always beat out either of yours.”

“Annoying.”

A phone vibrates on the table and Scott scoops his up. “Ah, that’s me. There’s an emergency at the clinic. Isaac’s still in training so I should get going. Cover my bill and I’ll catch you next time.”

“Good luck,” Erica says, reaching over to drag Scott’s unfinished plate towards her.

“Tell Lahey I say he sucks.”

“I will do no such thing!” Scott says indignantly before rushing through the restaurant towards the exit.

“He was my ride,” Erica comments after Scott’s long gone.

“I’ll drive you back to the office,” Stiles offers. He pushes his plate towards her. “I’m not really hungry. Erica, I don’t know what to do. Booty Call is just that. _A booty call._ We’re fuck buddies. Not even friends. I don’t know anything personal about him and I don’t get why he kissed me.”

“Maybe it was a reflex and meant absolutely nothing.”

“Maybe.”

But Stiles thinks he might prefer it better if it _does_ mean something.

 

**☆ ☾ ☆**

 

 

 

> **Booty Call King  
>  ** _9:02 PM_
> 
> are you coming over or what
> 
>  
> 
> **Stiles  
>  ** _9:03 PM_
> 
> you missing me already lover boy?
> 
>  
> 
> **Booty Call King  
>  ** _ 9:05 PM _
> 
> i miss your dick
> 
>  
> 
> _9:10 PM_
> 
> stiles?
> 
>  
> 
> _9:23 PM_
> 
> fine i’m going to bed then

 

Stiles silently laughs as he lifts his hand to knock on Derek’s bedroom window. He tried to be as quiet coming up the fire escape as he possibly could. A moment later, the curtain is yanked aside. Derek pushes the window up and Stiles climbs in.

He grabs Derek’s hand for balance and smirks when he’s stable. “You miss my dick, huh?”

Derek sighs as if it’s such a burden. He shuts the window and turns on his heels to look at Stiles. One moment they’re having a small staring contest, and the next, Derek has closed any space between them to press his lips fully against Stiles’.

They both know it means he’s broken Rule Two, but Derek’s lips feel so damn good and Stiles has wondered what it’d be like to kiss him for so long that neither of them say anything to stop it. Derek tugs Stiles’ sweater off and pulls his t-shirt over his head. Derek’s hands rub across Stiles’ chest.

Stiles is just as needy to get Derek’s clothes off, but his brain goes on the fritz when Derek starts kissing him again. _This_ is the kind of kissing he’d expected. Heat exploding from both of them, a sense of urgency in the air between them, the desperate need for _more._

Derek pushes Stiles down onto the bed, and he lets himself sink into the mattress. He tries to catch his breath but a moment later, Derek is straddling him.

This is going to be the best sex Stiles has ever had. He can already tell. Derek’s lips are on him again, his hands dragging through Stiles’ hair. He tugs gently and Stiles lets a moan leave his mouth. It feels so, so good.

“I’ve wanted to do this for so long,” Derek breathes. His voice is husky and his breath is hot on Stiles’ skin. He never wants this to end.

He wraps his arms around Derek’s neck, holding him close. “Me too.”

 

 

And Stiles is right. It’s the best sex he’s ever had to date. The only thing that would make the night feel complete is if he could snuggle into Derek right now. But he can’t. They’ve already violated the hell out of one rule; Stiles isn’t sure he wants to test breaking another.

They lay beside each other, both panting, and it takes Stiles a while before he feels like he’ll be able to stand upright again. When he does, he gets out of the bed. Derek’s quiet tonight. He’s probably fretting about the ramifications of breaking a rule. Stiles doesn’t know how to ease that anxiety, because he’s starting to feel it sink into him too.

After he has his clothes back on, Stiles hesitates. He should leave right now. He should. But he walks over to Derek’s side of the bed. He bends down and kisses Derek. Just because he can. Just because he’s not sure he’ll get to do this ever again.

Quietly, he says, “I knew you’d be an amazing kisser, Hale. I’ll see you around.”

“Yeah.” Derek’s eyes meet his. “See you around.”

 

**☆ ☾ ☆**

 

The kissing thing becomes a habit, and frankly, Stiles doesn’t have a single complaint. It’s been _awesome._ Any sex against a door now includes a very steamy makeout session and Stiles is loving it.

“I get it,” Erica says, shaking her head. Stiles narrows his eyes; he’s pretty sure there might be two of her. “You like kissing Booty Call King. Honestly, it’s about damn time.”

“But you _can’t_ get it,” Stiles whines. It’s possible he’s more drunk than he thought. He feels a pout forming on his lips and he knows that he should _probably_ stop drinking. But he grabs Erica’s hand to look her in the eye. “You haven’t kissed him. It’s like… it’s like, coming home when someone has cookies baking in the oven. Or that feeling right before something good happens. Like your gut is right on the money. _But also,_ having your entire body react to a simple touch. Like, like…”

He can’t think of the words.

Erica covers their hands with her other one. “Stiles, that is a weird way to describe _kissing_ someone.”

“What is?” Scott asks, plopping back into the booth across from them. Allison and Isaac slide in after him. Stiles squints. Have they always been here or did they just arrive to the bar? Stiles isn’t sure. The table _is_ covered in empty glasses though.

“He says kissing Booty Call is like,” Erica waves a hand around before turning back to Stiles. “What did you say again?”

Stiles hiccups, and then takes the shot Scott puts in front of them. What a good buddy. “I should go.”

“You can’t go!” Erica protests. “Boyd isn’t here yet, and you _promised_ that we’d all hang out tonight.”

Allison and Isaac say something, and Scott might be talking too, but Stiles tunes out the rest of the conversation. He pulls out his cell phone and opens his favourite conversation.

 

 

 

> _12:21 AM_
> 
> i am drunk and i wanna fuck you
> 
>  
> 
> _12:22 AM_
> 
> i also really wanna kiss you
> 
>  
> 
> _12:22 AM_
> 
> deeeeeerrreeeeeek
> 
>  
> 
> **Booty Call King  
>  ** _12:23 AM_
> 
> come over
> 
>  
> 
> _12:24 AM_
> 
> or i can pick you up

 

 

 

> **Stiles  
>  ** _12:24 AM_
> 
> pick me up so we can makeout faster. i’m at the bar

 

 

 

> **Booty Call King  
>  ** _12:25 AM_
> 
> which bar, stiles?
> 
>  
> 
> **Stiles  
>  ** _12:25 AM_
> 
> our bar
> 
>  
> 
> **Booty Call King**
> 
> **o o o**
> 
>  
> 
> _12:27 AM_
> 
> on my way

 

Stiles wears a sloppy grin on his face when he lifts his head from his phone. Erica tries to get him to move closer to the wall so Boyd can join. Stiles shakes his head. “Actually, I’m leaving.”

“Wait, why?” Scott asks, concerned. It’s nice that he’s concerned. Stiles loves Scott for that. He really does. It’s why Scott’s one of his favourite people _ever._ They’re best friends. Bros for life.

Stiles forgets what they were talking about, but everyone is staring at him. “Uhhh…”

“Oh my god,” Erica says at the same time Allison asks, “You’re going to see Booty Call, aren’t you?”

Stiles looks between his friends. He can’t read their expressions right now, so he smiles brightly. “Yep! So if you’ll let me out…”

Erica huffs. “Stiles, you’re drunker than I!”

“Me,” Isaac corrects, his voice soft. Then he hiccups. He's drunk too. Erica shoots him a look and Stiles takes a second to focus on Isaac. The guy is the saddest puppy Stiles has ever seen. But Scott told him that he thinks Isaac has been through some shit so Stiles shouldn’t judge him so harshly. In Stiles’ defense though, Isaac had insulted him the first time they met. “Just because you’re drunk doesn’t mean that the rules of grammar should be ignored.”

“Lahey,” Erica says, wagging a finger at him. She turns back to Stiles. “You. This is the first night we’ve all had off to hang out in forever. You’re _really_ going to ditch?”

Stiles’ phone vibrates in his hand.

 

 

 

> **Booty Call King  
>  ** _12:39 AM_
> 
> parked outside

 

Stiles nods. “Yeah, sorrrrrry! It’s just, I gotta get me some dick, y’know? I’ll make it up to you next time.”

Erica reluctantly lets him out of the booth with Boyd’s help. He claps a hand on Stiles’ shoulder. “I’m D.D. tonight. Call me if you need a ride, okay?”

“Aw,” Stiles says. He dives into Boyd for a sudden hug. “Have I ever told you how much I like you?”

“Only when you’re drunk,” Boyd says. He frowns at Stiles. “Are you sure you want to go see some guy for sex?”

Stiles stands upright and pats Boyd’s chest. “I am. It’s cool, guys. I know you don’t know Booty Call, but he’s a chill dude. Alright! Love youuu.”

“I’m not sure about this,” Scott mumbles.

“Stiles, be careful. When you’re drunk, you tend to tell people how much you love them. A lot,” Allison offers sweetly. “You might want to avoid saying anything weird to your fuck buddy.”

Stiles does finger guns at her. “You, my beautiful sunshine, are brilliant! Goodbye, young ones! Do good things in the world!”

He kisses his fingers and throws his hands towards his friends. Then before anyone can stop him, he makes his way through the crowd and towards the exit. Once he’s outside, he takes a deep breath. The cool air is refreshing and seems to wake him up a little.

“Stilinski.”

Stiles turns to see Derek across the street, leaning against the outside of his car like he’s in an 80s movie or something. Stiles can’t contain his smile. He doesn’t even _want_ to. He crosses the street after Derek assures him it’s safe and wraps his arms around Derek’s waist.

“You came!”

“Yeah. It’s not a long drive,” Derek says, with a laugh. “Oof. Stiles, you reek of alcohol. How much did you drink?”

Stiles tries to think as Derek leads him around to the passenger side. “Scott and I had three drinks before Erica joined us. Oh! I guess that means Scott was always there, huh? And then we did shots. Like one or two or maybe four. And then Allison graced us with her presence so we did some more. I got a drink of something fruity. And then Isaac showed up so--”

“More shots?” Derek guesses.

Stiles looks up at him from the passenger seat. “Yeah! How’d you know?”

Derek laughs and shuts the door. Stiles isn’t quite sure what’s funny, but he’s happy to have made Derek laugh. When Derek gets into the driver’s side, he asks, “Are you feeling okay?”

“I’m not going to vomit all over your beautiful Camaro,” Stiles assures him, bobbing his head. Then he gasps. “Oh no! I didn’t do a shot with Boyd. I hope he isn’t upset.”

“Boyd?” Derek asks, glancing at Stiles as he pulls away from the curb. “As in, Vernon Boyd?”

“Yeah! How’d you know?” Stiles asks, looking at Derek. It’s quite possible that Derek is the most beautiful man on earth. And he’s taking Stiles home with him tonight. He smiles at the thought.

“He’s one of my best friends, actually,” Derek tells him. “Uh, does he know about us?”

“I only refer to you as Booty Call to my friends,” Stiles answers. “Why? What do you call me to your friends?”

“Uh,” Derek says. He looks uncomfortable. “They don’t, uh, actually know about you. Other than Jackson, that is. And he doesn't give a shit about my sex life.”

“Oh.” Stiles deflates. Then a thought occurs to him. “I can’t wait for you to kiss me again.”

Derek laughs and it’s the best sound in the world.

 

**☆ ☾ ☆**

 

Stiles’ head _pounds._ It feels like he has his own personal drummer inside, banging against his skull to make some horrid music. He rolls over and buries his face into a pillow. It isn’t his super soft pillow like he expects, but firmer. Stiles groans in discomfort. He shifts in the sheets and… and this doesn’t feel like his bed at all.

Without thinking about it, he takes a giant sniff of the pillow. And jerks back, fully awake now.

Stiles looks around. He’s in Derek’s bed. In Derek’s room. In Derek’s apartment. And it’s most definitely daylight. He spots his cell phone charging on the nightstand and shuffles to pick it up. It’s 11:17 AM.

He… he slept over in Derek’s bed. Stiles has no memory of getting here. He checks his messages and reads his last messages with Derek. He had come over with the intention of getting laid and he has no idea if they had sex or not. He lifts the blanket and nods. He’s wearing boxers.

But Stiles broke Rule Three by sleeping here last night. He wonders if Derek’s upset with him. He hears some noise coming from the other side of the bedroom door, so Stiles gets out of bed. With the speed of a hungover man, he pulls his clothes on.

He  _could_ ditch Derek and leave down the fire escape, but… but he has questions. He needs to know what the hell happened last night.

The door creaks open and Stiles sticks his head out.

Something smells good.

A second later, the bathroom door swings open. Derek’s roommate, Jackson, doesn’t seem to be too surprised that Stiles is there. “Oh. You’re _finally_ awake. Derek was concerned you died in your sleep.”

“Uh…”

“He’s making breakfast,” Jackson offers. He claps a hand on Stiles’ shoulder, and gently steers Stiles down the hall. When they enter the open space of the living room, kitchen, and dining room, Jackson says, “Hey Derek, look who has risen from the dead.”

“Stiles, hey. I was just about to come wake you to ask how you like your eggs,” Derek says easily, as if Stiles being here in the morning isn’t the weirdest thing.

“My eggs?” Stiles asks, feeling dumb. He takes a breath before saying, “Any way is fine with me, but uh, I guess I’m not really crazy about runny yolk.”

“Same as Derek,” Jackson says, walking to the front door. “Have fun guys. Stilisnki, you look like hell. I’m out for the day. Bye.”

“Bye Jack!” Derek calls out. He turns around a moment later to tell Stiles, “There’s water and Tylenol on the coffee table for you. I figured you’d have a killer hangover today.”

Stiles isn’t sure what to do, but he really wants the Tylenol, so he sits down on the couch and pops the pills. He plays with his cell phone in his hands for a moment before he opens his group chat with his friends. He ignores the last messages from them to send his own.

 

 

 

> _11:19 AM_
> 
> i just woke up in booty call’s bed and now he’s making breakfast??????????
> 
>  
> 
> _11:19 AM_
> 
> also i have the worst headache EVER
> 
>  
> 
> _11:19AM_
> 
> what the hell happened last night????
> 
>  
> 
> **Boyd to the dancing queens  
>  ** _11:20 AM_
> 
> You guys had had a lot to drink before I got there after my late library shift. You were pretty determined to go to his place though. Are you okay?
> 
>  
> 
> _11:20 AM_
> 
> Do you need me to pick you up?
> 
>  
> 
> **Stiles to the dancing queens  
>  ** _11:21 AM_
> 
> yeaaaah that sounds about right and no, i’m okay. i’m freaking out a lil but i’ll ask booty call if anything happened.
> 
>  
> 
> _11:21 AM_
> 
> i kinda hope not bc i don’t remember shit all
> 
>  
> 
> **Ally A to the dancing queens  
>  ** _11:21 AM_
> 
> you sent me a bunch of private messages saying you weren’t getting dick so… I think you’re okay
> 
>  
> 
> **Isaac to the dancing queens  
>  ** _11:22 AM_
> 
> I also got those texts…
> 
>  
> 
> **Erica to the dancing queens  
>  ** _11:25 AM_
> 
> my favourite is this one:
> 
> hang on & i’ll copy and paste it
> 
>  
> 
> _11:25 AM_
> 
> stiles: errrrricaaaaaa he says he won’t even kiss me because i’m not soberrrr BUT I WANT HIM
> 
> TO KISS ME EVERYWHERE ALL OVER UNTIL I’M ONE GIANT HICKEYYYYY. JUST ONE GIANT
> 
> THROBBINF PAINFUL MESS AT BOOTY CALLS MERCY
> 
>  
> 
> **Boyd to the dancing queens  
>  ** _11:26 AM_
> 
> Too early, Erica.
> 
>  
> 
> **Scott to the dancing queens  
>  ** _11:26 AM_
> 
> i had to see what isaac was freaking out about and fuck i was not prepared for that
> 
>  
> 
> _11:26 AM_
> 
> stiles, that’s intense. even for you!
> 
>  
> 
> **Stiles to the dancing queens  
>  ** _11:26 AM_
> 
> oh my god i want to dig my own grave and wait for the darkness to overcome me
> 
>  
> 
> **Ally A to the dancing queens  
>  ** _11:27 AM_
> 
> WHY DID YOU SUBJECT ME TO READING THAT ERICA AND WHY DID YOU SAY THAT STILES
> 
>  
> 
> _11:27 AM_
> 
> THE IMAGE OF STILES AS ONE GIANT HICKEY IS FOREVER BURNED INTO MY HEAD
> 
>  
> 
> **Isaac to the dancing queens  
>  ** _11:27 AM_
> 
> at least you didn’t get this one: isaaaaaaaac his dicj is so pretty thoughht and i want it in my mouth sadface
> 
>  
> 
> **Boyd the dancing queens  
>  ** _11:27 AM_
> 
> Oh boy.
> 
>  
> 
> **Lydia to the dancing queens  
>  ** _11:27 AM_
> 
> What the hell did I miss last night?
> 
>  
> 
> _11:27 AM_
> 
> Stiles, I had to hear from Scott that you and Booty Call finally made out. Why wouldn’t you tell me that?
> 
>  
> 
> _11:27 AM_
> 
> Also, I hope you have a hangover from hell for sending me that blurry shirtless photo of, who I hope is, you.
> 
>  

“Everything okay?”

Stiles almost jumps a foot into the air. He sets his phone down, ignoring the incoming buzzes, and looks up at Derek. “Yeah, yeah. Sorry, I was just checking in with my friends.”

“Of course,” Derek says. He sets a plate down in front of Stiles. “I’m sure food is the last thing you--”

“No, I’m _starving._ Thank you,” Stiles interrupts. He leans forward to pick up the fork. Before he digs in though, he watches Derek settle into the chair adjacent to the couch. “Uh, what, um, happened last night?”

“You don’t remember?” Derek asks.

“Um. No.” Stiles focuses his attention onto the plate of eggs, bacon, and potatoes in front of him. It smells heavenly. He eats his eggs first, and his stomach growls in appreciation. “I didn’t eat much yesterday and then I drank _a lot_. I saw in my messages that you picked me up, so, uh, thanks.”

Derek tilts his head, studying Stiles for a moment. “We didn’t have sex.”

Stiles feels his shoulders deflate in relief. His eyes widen when he realizes what that must look like to Derek. “Not that I didn’t want to have sex with--”

“Stiles, it’s fine. _I_ said no.” Derek shrugs. “You were way too wasted. I wasn’t going to take advantage.”

“So, uh, why didn’t you just take me home?” Stiles asks.

“I tried, actually. But you couldn’t find your keys and you said your roommates weren’t home, so…” Derek shrugs again. “I figured this was the better option. At least here, I could keep an eye on you. Did you know that you barely move when you’re asleep?”

Stiles shakes his head. “No one’s told me that before.”

“Yeah. I honestly thought you stopped breathing completely at least twice,” Derek says, with a small smile. “I think it’s possible you have sleep apnea. You _may_ want to get that checked out. It’s a pretty serious condition and honestly, after one night lying beside you...”

“Huh.” Stiles eats a forkful of eggs before he adds, “Thanks. I will do that. And, uh, thanks for letting me crash here. And making breakfast. You really didn’t have to.”

“It’s not a big deal,” Derek says. It feels like a big deal to Stiles, but Derek doesn’t seem to be bothered by it. He leans back in his chair. “Any plans today?”

“Uh, no. I had planned on being hungover,” Stiles admits. He looks down at the plate of food again. “To be honest, I probably wouldn’t have moved until two o’clock and I definitely wouldn’t have whipped up a delicious breakfast like this. My hangovers are mostly a killer headache and exhaustion.”

“Well,” Derek says, without looking at Stiles. “We could watch Netflix or something, if you wanna hang out for a bit. I know that’d be breaking a rule or two, but...what’s another?”

Stiles finds himself smiling. “Sure. Yeah, uh, yeah. I’d like that, actually.”

“Cool. Are you watching anything on Netflix right now?”

“I’ve been rewatching Schitt’s Creek,” Stiles answers.

Derek tilts his head. “What’s that?”

“You haven’t heard about Schitt’s Creek before?” Stiles asks, sitting upright. “Oh, dude. It’s good. We should watch it. It’s Canadian and has Eugene Levy and his son, Daniel, in it. It’s hilarious and, uhhh, pretty heart-warming. Plus Daniel’s character, David, is pansexual. It’s the first time I’ve watched anything with pan representation in it, to be honest. And it was a total accident. I’ve expanded to seek out things with other pan representation but…”

“But he was the first and it made you happy,” Derek finishes for him. Stiles feels the tips of his ears burn. He nods, feeling a little embarrassed for his ramble. Derek hasn’t seen this side of him before. Sure, Stiles talks a lot during sex, but this is different. “Cool. Let’s do it.”

Stiles stares at Derek, who has turned his attention to Netflix. He’s searching for the show, and Stiles can’t tear his eyes off Derek. His lips part.

“Is it cool if we share the couch?” Derek asks once Schitt’s Creek is loading on the TV. “This chair is uncomfortable.”

“Yeah, of course,” Stiles barely manages to get out. He shifts down on the couch to make some more room for Derek.

They sit side by side, watching the TV, and eating their breakfast. Stiles isn’t sure what’s happening to them right now, but when Derek leans forward to set his empty plate on the coffee table, he asks Stiles if he’s done too. Stiles hands him his plate and then Derek leans back.

This time, he settles in against Stiles.

Stiles wonders if Derek can hear the way his heart races. He watches Derek watch the TV, smiling whenever Derek laughs. If any of his friends saw this, they wouldn’t believe him. Hell, Stiles isn’t sure if this is real. He pinches himself and winces; that’s real pain.

Derek glances over at him so they share a smile and then he wraps an arm around Stiles’ shoulders, pulling him close.

It’s the best hangover Sunday Stiles has ever had.

 

**☆ ☾ ☆**

 

“What do you mean?”

Stiles plops on the couch beside Lydia. “I mean, I just got home from Booty Call’s place.”

“You _stayed?_ Isn’t that, like, against the rules of booty calls?” Lydia asks, reaching over to brush her fingers at Stiles’ hair. She’s fixing it despite the fact that he’s staying in the rest of the night. But it’s always nice to have her care so he doesn’t mind.

“Yeah. But Derek pointed out that we already broke one by me sleeping over, so hanging out was just like, an extension of that rule break. It’s fine.” Stiles isn’t quite sure whether he’s lying or not.

“Well, how was it?”

“Nice.”

“Nice?” Lydia asks. She lifts an eyebrow. “It was _nice._ You spent the entire day at Booty Call’s place and it was...nice. Did you guys have sex?”

Stiles doesn’t answer. He leans forward to pick up one of her magazines from the coffee table. He flips through it, and Lydia slaps a hand on the magazine.

“Did you guys have sex?”

“No! Okay, no. We didn’t have sex. We just hung out,” Stiles says. He yanks the magazine from under Lydia’s hand. She huffs. “I know, okay, Lyds? You’re the one who encouraged me to get a fuck buddy to begin with.”

“Yeah, but I meant someone like… Cora or whatever. Don’t get an Aiden.”

Stiles freezes. “Sorry, uh. Cora?”

“Oh.” Lydia waves her hand dismissively. “She’s a girl I’ve been hooking up with. We met at the coffee shop that I go to every morning before work. She’s like, insanely gorgeous.”

“So, you’re moving on from Aiden then?”

“Aiden who?” Lydia says back with a brilliant smile. It’s the first one he’s seen in a few weeks. He smiles and tucks a piece of her hair behind her ear. His fingers hover for a moment and then he pulls back. Once upon a time, Stiles had thought he was in love with Lydia. She hadn’t given him the time of day, at least not romantically. But she’d decided that Stiles would make a great friend. He’s grateful, because this way he gets to actually _know_ her. And he knows her better than anyone else.

He leans back against the couch and sighs. He drags a hand through his hair for the millionth time. “I’m so screwed, Lyds.”

“I know,” she says, reaching over to pat his knee. “To be honest, fuck buddies are only supposed to be a temporary thing. Or an occasional thing. But you and Booty Call have been seeing each other for a while now.”

“Uh,” Stiles thinks about it. “This is Month Eleven.”

“Eleven months and how often do you see each other during the week?” Lydia asks.

“I don’t know. Three or four times. Sometimes, not at all. But…” Stiles shrugs. “I don’t know.”

Lydia nods, understanding whatever Stiles can’t seem to. “It’s surprising that it’s taken you two _this_ long to hang out without having sex. Do you really never talk about anything personal?”

“I mean, yeah. Like, it’s always just been fuck and leave.” Stiles sighs heavily, closing his eyes. “But today, we watched Schitt’s Creek. He said that Alexis reminds him a little bit of his younger sister. I didn’t even know he had a sister! He has two, apparently. I don’t know their names. And, oh god. Okay. I’m going to tell you something that you cannot tell _anyone._ ”

“Okay.”

“He told me that I mentioned Boyd last night,” Stiles murmurs. He stares at the ceiling. “And, um, I guess he’s best friends with Boyd.”

“Derek Hale?” Lydia says, sitting upright. Her intense gaze meets him. “ _Booty Call King is Derek Hale?”_

“H--how the fuck did you know that?” Stiles stammers.

“You _know_ I was friends with Boyd growing up. That’s how we figured out where he was when Erica was on her big quest to find her one-night-stand. He and I go way back. And _so do Derek and I._ ” Lydia lets out a small laugh of disbelief. “I can’t believe I didn’t see this before. Cora is Derek’s younger sister.”

“The woman you’re sleeping with?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh my god.” Stiles rubs his face. “Oh my _god._ ”

“Wow, okay. I know _way_ too much about Derek then.” Lydia seems to think about this for a moment before she says, “How the hell did this happen?”

“I don’t know…he was just a dude at the bar.” He groans. “Oh god, and Derek’s roommate, Jackson, is _your_ ex-boyfriend, Jackson.”

“Ding, ding, ding!” Lydia laughs, reaching over to pat his leg. “Jackson and I are on good terms these days. And I don’t really hang out with Derek much. But sometimes Boyd and I hang out with them. It’s actually how I got reconnected with Cora. We were spending the evening at Derek’s place, playing board games. I can’t believe that Derek is Booty Call. Like, you’ve gotta know something about Derek, Stiles… he’s had his heart broken. More than once. Really, really badly. Please be gentle with him.”

“Lydia, we’re only sleeping together!” Stiles protests. “There’s nothing to be gentle about. I’m not going to break his heart.”

She doesn’t seem so sure about that. “Promise me.”

Stiles doesn’t see the harm in it; it’s a moot point anyway. “I promise.”

“Does Boyd know?”

“Apparently, Jackson is the only one who knows about us. And he knows who I am. But none of Derek’s other friends know. Except, well, you. I guess.” Stiles rubs his face some more. “This is weird. I haven’t used his name because it wasn’t supposed to _matter._ He was supposed to be some guy that I was fucking. But now, it feels like he’s suddenly all tangled up in my life.”

“He’s not, really. Besides, Scott and Allison don’t know him.”

“But Erica does because of Boyd. And Isaac?”

“Yeah. He hangs out with us sometimes,” Lydia tells him. “It’s fine, Stiles. I won’t say anything. Honestly, this is the happiest I’ve seen you in the five years that I’ve known you. You used to be so…”

“Sad. Depressed. Lonely.” Stiles waves a hand in the air. “Take your pick. I was all of them. But I don’t know. Things with Derek have been good. It’s been fun. I’ve never been so connected to someone before.”

Lydia lifts an eyebrow.

“Sexually, I mean.” Stiles shakes his head. “I don’t know him well enough to be emotionally attached. So, please don’t tell me anything about him.”

“Okay,” Lydia says, softly.

But there’s a little voice in the back of Stiles’ head. He’s pretty sure he’s emotionally attached to Derek. Especially after today. He likes who he is when he’s around Derek, because he feels grounded. He feels like he’s finally _himself._ And if that isn’t addicting enough, Derek’s smile is.

 

**☆ ☾ ☆**

 

 

 

> **Booty Call King  
>  ** _9:02 PM_
> 
> you around?

 

Stiles stares at the message. He know he should reply. He should say no. He knows too much about Derek now. He’d spent the day obsessing, and had come to the conclusion that he should take some space to distance himself. Stiles hasn’t asked Lydia any questions about who Derek is or why she warned him that he’s been hurt before, but he has a hundred others. It’s been torture keeping them to himself.

And he’s been looking at Derek in a new light. Giving him small, soft kisses as if they’ll heal whatever emotional pain he’s been through. Stiles doesn’t know how to not be emotionally attached to the guy. It says in the rules that they should break it off, but… they’ve already broken so many rules. What’s one more in the grand scheme of things, really?

 

 

 

> _9:12 PM_
> 
> on my way

 

Stiles climbs the fire escape as quickly as possible once he’s there. He’s not sure why he’s in a rush to see Derek. His game plan has been to avoid Derek. But now that he’s here, Stiles doesn’t want to be anywhere else. He taps on Derek’s window and climbs into his room a minute later.

“Hey,” Stiles whispers. He wraps his arms around Derek’s waist and tugs him closer. Derek doesn’t seem rushed like usual. Normally, he can’t get enough of Stiles.

His heart sinks.

Maybe Derek is going to end it tonight. Maybe he’s decided he’s done with Stiles and that-- “I’m so glad you’re here.”

Stiles lets out the breath he’d been holding. He brings his hands up to cup Derek’s face. “What’s wrong?”

“I…” Derek shakes his head. He brings his hands to rest on Stiles’. “Nothing. Everything is fine. It’s better now that you’re here.”

Stiles catches Derek’s hands in his as they fall and he intertwines their fingers. He leans forward and presses his lips gently to Derek’s. His voice is soft. “Derek, you can talk to me.”

“But--”

“What’s wrong?” Stiles asks, his eyes searching Derek’s. He hopes this isn’t the end. Then Derek steps closer and rests his forehead on Stiles’ shoulder.

“Today sucked. Like, really, really sucked.”

“Wanna sit down?”

They climb onto Derek’s bed, leaning against the back wall. Stiles still holds one of Derek’s hands in his, and Derek snuggles into him. “It’s a lot of emotional crap.”

Stiles knows this is a line that they can never return from once they’ve crossed it. But… but he already crossed it. He’s not sure when, but at some point over the last eleven months, Stiles has grown feelings of some sort for Derek. “It’s okay. There are always exceptions to any rule, right?”

Derek’s quiet for a while. Stiles doesn’t pressure him to speak; he doesn’t really think that’ll help. Derek’s voice is so soft that Stiles leans closer to him to hear better. “I saw my ex today. But, uh, our past is a little more complicated than normal ex-girlfriend situations. I was fifteen when we first got together and she was, uh, twenty-seven.”

Stiles instinctively squeezes Derek’s hand. His heart thuds. No one deserves that.

“I thought it was love. I don’t know. She wanted my inheritance…” Derek pauses before adding, “I’m, um, really rich. Like stupid rich. My great grandparents were the founders of Hale Communications and… yeah.”

“Oh, wow.” Stiles glances around Derek’s very modest apartment. “You’d never know it; you’re a hard-worker.”

“How do you know?”

“Because, you work long hours.” Stiles presses his lips against Derek’s head. “And I heard Jackson bitch about how I’m stealing all your spare time.”

Derek lets out a breathy laugh. “Yeah, that much is true. I’m, uh, the CEO of Hale Communications now. My older sister, Laura, ran the company for a while, but she was always waiting for me to finish university. It was never her thing. My younger sister, Cora, is the president. She loves it just as much as I do, to be honest. Our roles are very different, but sometimes, I think that she could handle both without batting an eye. She’s a force of nature all on her own.”

Stiles smiles.

“Anyway, the only reason Laura inherited and ran the company, and I run it now, is because Kate killed my parents.”

He stills.

It’s a long time before Derek starts speaking again. “When I was seventeen, Laura would’ve been nineteen, and Cora was fifteen. My sisters came to cheer me on at my basketball game. Kate was supposed to be there. We were still a secret at this point. But my sisters thought something was going on with me, and they were worried. I don’t know. I think maybe they sensed that something was going to happen. They didn’t always come to my basketball games.”

Stiles rubs his thumb along Derek’s hand.

“Anyway, Kate didn’t show. It wasn’t all that unusual, except that it was a pretty big game and she promised. Up until that point, Kate had kept all her promises.” Derek shifts so he settles against Stiles a little more. “After the game, my sisters and I fought. They wanted to know what I wasn’t telling them. I was just a dumb kid who thought he was in love. But when we got home, our house was in flames.”

Stiles presses his lips against the top of Derek’s head and closes his eyes. Everything feels heavy right now.

“Kate had trapped my family inside. My mother, my father, two aunts, three uncles, and five of my cousins. They were all under the age of eleven.” Derek sniffs, and Stiles realizes that Derek’s crying. He doesn’t know what to do, so he holds Derek a little tighter.

“I’m here,” Stiles whispers. “I’ve got you.”

Stiles feels Derek’s hot tears fall onto their hands. “Kate had planned it all because she wanted my money. But she found out that my parents weren’t planning on giving us access to our trust funds until we were thirty. So, she went for the inheritance instead. She probably would’ve gotten away with it. She wasn’t a suspect.”

“What happened?”

“I told Laura and Cora. I told them everything. I don’t really remember how it happened. I think we were sitting at the police station. A psychologist or trauma expert or something had come to talk to us. And Cora kept saying she didn’t understand how this could happen. And a police officer made a comment about the money and… and I realized that I had just told Kate a few weeks before about the age I had to be for the trust fund. I don’t know if there was an officer right there or if I had to repeat everything. But after they had her as a suspect, they found her DNA all over the scene. She had never been at the house with me.”

“And today?”

“She was up for parole.” Derek rubs his eyes with his free hand. “They asked me to speak on whether I was okay with her being released or not. I said no. How could I ever say yes? She… she killed my family… if I had just told them what was happening between Kate and I, maybe...”

Stiles holds Derek close. He presses his lips on the top of Derek’s head again. He would kill Kate himself it would bring any sort of peace to Derek. He closes his eyes. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that, Derek. You deserve so much better. None of that is your fault. I can’t imagine what that must have been like. I know how hard it is to lose your mom. I can’t imagine losing my father and extended family too.”

“Your mom?” Derek asks after a while.

“She got sick. She was in and out of the hospitals a lot when I was a kid, but they thought she was in remission. We were about to leave for the airport to go to Disney World for the week to celebrate. The doctors missed it on her scans. She collapsed on the porch. The ambulance came but…” Stiles takes a deep breath. “It was too late. I was eleven. My dad sort of, fell apart. He drowned himself in alcohol and work. He’s the Sheriff of my hometown. He’s doing better these days, and I worry about him a lot, but… but back then, I wasn’t sure we’d ever recover from the loss of my mother. I know it’s not the same--”

“Loss is loss, Stiles.” Derek lifts his head. His eyes are red and puffy, his cheeks tear-stained, but he lifts his hand to brush Stiles’ cheek. “I’m sorry you lost your mother.”

“I’m sorry you lost your family.”

Derek nods.

They don’t speak after that. Stiles feels a weight lifted from his chest; a weight he hadn’t even known was there. Still, the air is thick and heavy. He runs his fingers through Derek’s hair and kisses him occasionally. Somehow, being together seems to be enough.

Stiles isn’t sure what will happen between them next. He wonders if Derek will regret telling him. If he’ll kick Stiles out of his bed and delete his number. They’ve broken so many rules now, Stiles has no idea how they’ll ever be able to go back. He’s not even sure he _wants_ to go back.

He closes his eyes.

“Stiles,” Derek’s voice comes a while later. “I don’t feel like having sex tonight.”

Stiles nods. “Do you want me to go?”

_Ask me to stay. Ask me to stay, Derek. Please._

“No. Stay.”

Stiles settles into the bed beside Derek and snuggles into him. He rests his ear on Derek’s chest so he can listen to his heart beat. It’s the most soothing sound he’s ever heard.

 

**☆ ☾ ☆**

 

“So, you didn’t have sex.”

“No, we didn’t have sex.”

“Which means that you have an emotional attachment to Booty Call,” Scott concludes. “And that _technically,_ the rules state you should end it now. Except that you guys haven’t been following the rules for a while now and your one year anniversary of your fuck buddy-ship is coming up this weekend.”

“Yep.”

“I still vote you just tell him how you feel,” Lydia says. She reaches over to pick up a card. “Don’t you agree, Erica?”

“I do,” Erica says. She places down a card and nudges Stiles. “Your turn.”

“I don’t know what we’re doing anymore,” Stiles mumbles. He picks up a card and places down another. He glances at his friends. “I mean, you guys have no idea what he’s been through. It’s… it’s heavy stuff. And I don’t know how I can possibly _know_ this about him and _not_ care. But I don’t think him and I are meant to be, like, a couple. His friends don’t even know I exist.”

Erica and Lydia share a look.

“What? What do you know that I don’t?” Stiles demands. Scott looks up in surprise.

“Derek told Boyd that he thinks he’s really falling for someone,” Erica tells Stiles quietly. She reaches over and covers his hand with hers. “He’s terrified that he’s going to get hurt again.”

“Wait, _Derek?”_ Scott asks, looking between the women and Stiles. “Booty Call King is _Derek?”_

“You know him too?” Stiles asks.

“Yeah. Isaac and Boyd invited Allison and I over a few weekends ago. You had a work thing,” Scott explains. “Derek was there too. And Jackson. Anyway, then Lydia showed up, and we all got to talking about how it’s a small world. Derek’s a good guy. I like him.”

“Thanks?” Stiles says. He shakes his head. “Sorry, so Derek is falling for someone?”

“I know about Kate,” Lydia tells him. “I was there for some of it. Derek and I weren’t super close; I was always closer to Boyd and Jackson. But it was really rough. As far as I know, Derek doesn’t talk about that with _anyone._ ”

“Uh.”

“He’s unsure,” Erica tells him. She pulls her hand away for her turn. “Uno.”

“Damn,” Lydia murmurs. They count their cards and Scott shuffles the deck.

“I don’t know how to deal with this,” Stiles admits. “I’m not even sure how I feel. I mean, what? One heart-to-heart and suddenly, we’ve bonded in an inexplicable way? He’s apparently falling for me but we haven’t talked since? It was a week ago.”

“Have _you_ reached out?” Lydia asks, giving him her infamous pointed look.

“Well, no, but… it was very emotional. I wanted to give him some time!”

“It sounds like he’s waiting for you to make the first move,” Scott says. “I mean, he was vulnerable with you. It might be too much for him to reach out again.”

“Oh.”

Stiles excuses himself from the table. He goes into his bedroom and picks up his phone from his bed. He opens his conversation with Derek and hesitates. Maybe this is a bad idea. Maybe he shouldn’t…

 

 

 

> _7:34 PM_
> 
> hey sorry for being mia this week...work was busy

 

He cringes. That’s _terrible._

 

 

 

> _ 7:34 PM _
> 
> would you want to hang out?

 

Not fuck. Not hookup. Not have sex. No. Stiles asks if Derek wants to _hang out._ He groans and leans back on his bed. He rubs his face. This is horrible. He shouldn’t have listened to his friends. Derek would have texted him when he wanted to and not a moment before. Stiles doesn’t want to rush Derek.

Things were intense the last time they saw each other. Stiles isn’t even sure that Derek will want to see him again and--

His phone vibrates.

 

 

 

> **Derek Booty Hale  
>  ** _7:36 PM_
> 
> i’d like that. your place or mine?
> 
>  
> 
> **Stiles  
>  ** _7:36 PM_
> 
> yours. is now too soon?
> 
>  
> 
> **Derek Booty Hale  
>  ** _7:36 PM_
> 
> Nope
> 
>  
> 
> **Stiles  
>  ** _7:36 PM_
> 
> i’mma shower first. be there soon

 

He springs into action. He rushes into the bathroom and ignores his friends as he yanks the door shut. Stiles has the quickest shower in his personal history of showering. Lydia had told him that he smelled earlier, so he wants to make sure that he’s cleaned up for Derek. Stiles dries off quickly and changes into a new outfit; he’d worn the other shirt for the last three days.

Stiles hesitates but grabs his backpack. He shoves some clothes into it and a toothbrush. Just in case. He also shoves his laptop in it so he can pretend that he didn’t plan to sleep over if Derek kicks him out.

He rushes towards his friends.

“I’m going to Derek’s.”

“Good luck, buddy,” Scott says.

“Do you know what you’re going to do?” Erica asks.

“Nope.”

“Stiles,” Lydia says, reaching for his hand. She gives it a squeeze. “Be careful.”

“I know, I know. I won’t hurt him, Lydia.”

“I meant for you,” Lydia murmurs. “I’ve never seen you so tied up in knots about someone before. I don’t want you to get hurt either.”

Stiles presses his lips to her forehead. He gives Erica a quick hug and then Scott. He makes it to the front door before he says, “I really hope he doesn’t break my heart.”

 

 

By the time Stiles arrives to Derek’s, his anxiety has gotten to him. He doesn’t know what to expect and he’s worried. He doesn’t want things to end with Derek, but they didn’t follow _any_ of the rules. Stiles is afraid to lose Derek, but he doesn’t know how he can keep him.

Their relationship, or lack thereof, is based solely on sex. Sure, they have kissed, and they had one nice afternoon together watching Netflix, and they were emotionally vulnerable with one another but… but that’s not enough to sustain a relationship. Like an actual relationship. And Stiles isn’t sure he can give Derek what he needs or deserves.

When Stiles slips into Derek’s room this time, he kisses him before he says anything. He wants to memorize that feeling. It could disappear in the next few minutes and Stiles isn’t ready.

He isn’t ready.

Stiles kisses Derek a little deeper. Something shifts in the air and suddenly, they’re clawing to touch each other. Their clothes get tossed all around the room and Stiles pushes Derek backwards until they collapse onto the bed.

They don’t speak.

And maybe that’s the beauty of their relationship. They don’t need to say anything. Things slow down and everything is tender and gentle. There’s no rush anymore. They’re trying to savour it. Stiles wonders if Derek is scared to lose what could be too.

He kisses him some more just in case.

 

**☆ ☾ ☆**

 

Stiles fidgets. He’s been waiting all day to see if Derek will text him. He’s been texting Derek every day since that night. He’s been going to Derek. And now, he wants Derek to come to him. He’s a ball of nerves though. Because if Derek doesn’t reach out to him, Stiles will understand. Somehow, it’ll mean that things are coming to an end. It’s officially been over a year. They’ve had a great run.

He paces back and forth in his bedroom, willing his cell phone to make a sound.

When it does, he dives for it.

 

 

 

> **Boyd to the dancing queens  
>  ** _8:47 PM_
> 
> I’m watching the game tonight with Jackson if anyone wants to join us.
> 
>  
> 
> **Erica to the dancing queens  
>  ** _8:48PM_
> 
> and if you’re like me, you want to binge watch the newest season of TGP. so come over if you wanna spend your friday watching it. my marathon starts at 9:15pm
> 
>  
> 
> **Lydia to the dancing queens  
>  ** _8:50 PM_
> 
> I can’t tonight. But I can guarantee that Stiles is clinging to his phone cursing us because we’re not Derek.
> 
>  
> 
> **Stiles to the dancing queens  
>  ** _8:50 PM_
> 
> i might be
> 
>  
> 
> **Boyd to the dancing queens  
>  ** _8:50 PM_
> 
> Why would you be waiting for a message from Derek?
> 
>  
> 
> _8:50 PM_
> 
> Derek is Booty Call Guy?
> 
>  
> 
> _8:51 PM_
> 
> MY Derek?
> 
>  
> 
> **Stiles to the dancing queens  
>  ** _8:51 PM_
> 
> uh, yeah, did erica not tell you?
> 
>  
> 
> **Boyd to the dancing queens  
>  ** _8:51 PM_
> 
> THINGS MAKE SO MUCH SENSE NOW.
> 
>  
> 
> _8:51 PM_
> 
> I’m impressed Erica managed to keep it a secret for so long.
> 
>  
> 
> _8:51 PM_
> 
> I think you can expect a text from Derek soon, Stiles.
> 
>  
> 
> **Erica to the dancing queens  
>  ** _8:52 PM_
> 
> I know!!!!!! aren’t you proud of me???
> 
>  
> 
> **Ally A to the dancing queens  
>  ** _8:52 PM_
> 
> Scott told me but I didn’t see it coming. I like Derek though, even if I now know way more than I ever needed to about his body…
> 
>  
> 
> **Isaac to the dancing queens  
>  ** _8:53 PM_
> 
> dw @boyd, no one told me either
> 
>  
> 
> _8:53 PM_
> 
> altho idrc except for the fact that stiles being one big hickey from d is even more disturbing

 

 

 

> **Boyd to the dancing queens  
>  ** _8:54 PM_
> 
> I could’ve lived without remembering that, Isaac.
> 
>  
> 
> **Scott to the dancing queens  
>  ** _8:54 PM_
> 
> I took a shower for like FIVE seconds and have 17 notifications. I hate group chats omg
> 
>  
> 
> _8:54 PM_
> 
> but I might swing by, Boyd
> 
>  
> 
> _8:55 PM_
> 
> @Isaac, are you going?
> 
>  
> 
> **Isaac to the dancing queens  
>  ** _8:55 PM_
> 
> already here, my man
> 
>  
> 
> **Scott to the dancing queens  
>  ** _8:55 PM_
> 
> cool, see you soon!

 

Stiles huffs. He leaves his bedroom to knock on Scott’s bedroom door. “Seriously, dude? You’re abandoning me?”

“Dude, no offence, but I’d rather not have to hear you and Derek fuck tonight!” Scott calls back. There are some shuffling noises.

“He hasn’t even texted me,” Stiles whines.

“Well, you could always come over with me. Boyd technically invited you too,” Scott points out. “Maybe we could  _finally_ hang out at night! Like, you only ever want to get dinner these days, and you always rush through that in case Derek texts you. Or because you’re-” Scott swings his bedroom door open, “-rushing off to see him.”

“I…” Stiles sighs. “I’ve been a crap friend, haven’t I?”

“Nah. No more than I was when Ally and I started dating,” Scott promises. He puts his hand on Stiles’ shoulder. “So? What do you say?”

His phone buzzes and he looks down.

 

 

 

> **Derek Booty Hale  
>  ** _8:57 PM_
> 
> hey

 

“Sorry, man. I’m going to have to pass…”

“No sweat. I’ll see you later. Have fun. Wear condoms. Use lube.” Scott gives Stiles a quick hug. “And tell Derek that you want to date him.”

“I… I can’t.”

“Just do it, Stiles.” Scott grabs his jacket and tugs it on. “You never know. He might feel the same. And by what Boyd said, it’s very likely he does.”

While Scott puts on his shoes, Stiles’ phone goes off again in his hands.

 

 

 

> **Derek Booty Hale  
>  ** _8:58 PM_
> 
> your place?

 

Stiles waves bye to Scott.

 

 

 

> _8:58 PM_
> 
> yeah my place

 

**☆ ☾ ☆**

 

Stiles doesn’t tell Derek how he feels and Derek doesn’t say anything about how  _he_ feels so… Stiles chalks it up to not being the right time. He’s walking home from the local garage where he had to leave his Jeep for some repairs that might take a few days and he’s tired. It feels like he’s been dealt one long week after the next. Stiles and Derek have been sleeping with each other for almost a year and three months now.

Derek’s always on his mind these days. They’ve been spending more time together; pushing back the booty call text start time from 9 PM to 7 PM. And they sleep over sometimes. Stiles doesn’t mind it. He likes when he wakes up to Derek in the kitchen cooking. And whenever Stiles wakes up first, he goes to pick up some coffee and fresh doughnuts. On a few different occasions, they don’t have sex. They watch Netflix together, snuggled up.

He knows that Derek has decided to take this weekend off, which is great. The guy deserves a break. But he has no clue what he has planned.

Stiles opens their conversation on his phone as he makes his way through a large park. He wants to text Derek to ask what he’s up to, but they haven’t done anything like _that_ before. Hanging out during the day. The only time they do that is if the morning after a sleepover happens to be a day they both have off work. And even then, that’s only happened twice in the entire time they’ve known each other.

 

 

 

> **Derek Booty Hale**
> 
> **o o o**

 

Derek’s typing. Derek has their conversation open right now and he’s _typing._ Stiles stops walking out of surprise. He glances around and rushes over to an empty bench, cradling his phone in his hands. The dots disappear. His heart sinks a little.

 

Then

 

 

 

> **Derek Booty Hale**
> 
> **o o o**

 

He swallows. No, Derek’s really typing something to him right now. Stiles wonders if maybe Derek has just left an unsent message in their conversation or it’s a glitch.

 

 

 

> **Derek Booty Hale  
>  ** _12:14 PM_
> 
> a restaurant just opened downtown. do you wanna check it out with me?

 

Stiles can feel his heart in his throat. He’s about to type a response when another message comes in.

 

 

 

> **Derek Booty Hale  
>  ** _12:14 PM_
> 
> today, i mean
> 
>  
> 
> _12:15 PM_
> 
> at one o’clock? if you’re not busy?
> 
>  
> 
> **Stiles  
>  ** _12:15 PM_
> 
> i’ll be there. just send me the address
> 
>  
> 
> **Derek Booty Hale  
>  ** _12:15 PM_
> 
> sure, hang on

 

When Stiles stands up, he takes a deep breath, trying to let go any of his anxiety about his relationship with Derek. He resolves to take it one day at a time. At the end of the day, even if his friends lied to him about Derek developing feelings for him, Derek wants to hang out with him and that’s going to be enough for now.

 

 

“Hi,” Stiles breathes when he walks up to the booth Derek sits at. Derek slides out of the booth and wraps Stiles into a quick hug. He gently squeezes him before stepping back and settling into the booth again. Stiles sits across from him.

“Hi,” Derek says, with a smile. “I wasn’t sure if you’d be okay with this or…”

“It’s a pleasant surprise,” Stiles tells him. He searches Derek’s face, but the answers aren’t clear to him. “Thanks for inviting me.”

“I heard that their tacos are worth trying,” Derek says, picking up a menu.

“I _love_ tacos. They’re my favourite food. If I had to eat one thing for the rest of my life… it’d be tacos and curly friends.”

“You said one thing!” Derek protests, laughing.

And just like, they fall into the easiest conversation Stiles has ever had. Derek seems to be enraptured by everything Stiles says, and the feeling’s mutual. He loves when Derek’s voice is all husky and hot next to his ear mid-fuck, but Stiles thinks he might love hearing Derek ramble on passionately about a topic even more. There’s something to be said about the way Derek’s face lights up when he remembers another thing he wants to say.

“Oh! I’m going to tell you my _favourite_ lame joke,” Stiles says, clapping his hands together and straightening. Derek leans forward, and Stiles knows he has every ounce of Derek’s attention.

“I’m listening.”

Stiles smiles for a moment before he asks, “What does a nosy pepper do?”

Derek seems to consider this before he shakes his head. “I don’t know. What _does_ a nosy pepper do?”

“Gets jalapeño business.”

When Derek laughs at his lame joke, Stiles falls in love.

 

**☆ ☾ ☆**

 

“I don’t know,” Stiles murmurs. He wraps his arms around Derek’s waist from behind. Derek’s washing the dishes, but he told Stiles not to bother drying them. He’s been setting them on the drying rack. And now, they’re discussing whether or not they should hang out with their friends. “I like when I have you all to myself.”

Derek laughs. “I know. I like that too, Stiles. But the fact is that all my friends will be arriving to watch the premiere of the new season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and I want to know whether you’re staying or not.”

“We could always go back to my place. It’ll be empty,” Stiles murmurs.

“It will?” Derek turns off the tap and spins around in Stiles’ arms. He brings his soapy hand up to put bubbles on Stiles’ face. He’s pretty sure Derek’s trying to give him a bubble beard. “You’re sure?”

“Uh, yeah. My friends will be here.”

Derek’s eyebrows come together. “Wait, what?”

“Oh, uh. I live with Scott and Lydia.”

Derek reaches back to scoop up some more bubbles. He starts on the other side of Stiles’ face. “Interesting. Why haven’t they mentioned this to me?”

“I have no idea. I honestly thought you knew. Boyd has figured it out… um. Literally, all our friends know,” Stiles mumbles. He sputters when Derek gets some bubbles on his lip and he instinctively licks it off. “Gross.”

Derek smiles. “I can’t believe those little shits didn’t tell me.”

“They probably wanted to respect your privacy or whatever,” Stiles tells him. He reaches up to run his hand through Derek’s hair. “I know you didn’t tell anyone but Jackson about me… so I hope it’s okay that they know.”

“I don’t care who knows,” Derek murmurs. He smiles. “Your beard of bubbles is sexy. Maybe you should grow a beard.”

“Hey!” Stiles protests, but then Derek’s kissing him and he doesn’t care. He wraps his arms around Derek’s neck and presses himself in close. When they part, Derek has bubbles covering some of his own stubble. Stiles laughs. “You look ridiculous.”

“So do you.”

Stiles presses his lips to Derek’s once more. “So. Should we stay or should we go?”

“Let’s stay.” Derek slips his hands onto Stiles’ ass. “But should I ask how much they know about me?”

Stiles scrunches his nose. “Well. They originally knew you as Booty Call King and uh, I was pretty graphic sometimes. So… probably more than you want them to know. But if it’s any consolation, it’s more than they want to know about you too.”

Derek sighs. “Great.”

“What I don’t understand is how you and Lydia didn’t see each other before,” Stiles says, thoughtfully. “I’ve dragged you from the front door to my bedroom in front of her so many times.”

“She probably didn’t look. I mean, who _really_ wants to see that?” Derek asks. He picks up a tea towel from the oven handle and wipes the soap suds from Stiles’ face. He’s gentle. Stiles loves that about Derek.

When he’s done, Stiles takes the cloth from Derek’s hands and wipes his face clean too. His lips curl into a smile. “I like this.”

“I like this too,” Derek whispers. He quickly kisses Stiles. “Now, I have to finish these dishes.”

“ _Or_ , counter offer, we go have sex real quick before everyone gets here.”

“Yeah, okay. Dishes can wait.”

Stiles laughs as Derek chases him into the bedroom. They both dive on the bed and their laughter is muffled by kisses. So many wonderful kisses.

 

**☆ ☾ ☆**

 

“I don’t understand.”

“Stiles, I have to end this. I’m evoking Rule Five.”

“But…” Stiles blinks. This has come out of nowhere. He thought that Derek and he were good. That they were going places. They haven’t talked about _the rules_ in so long. Stiles’ lips part and close a few times before he whispers, “Why? Derek, please tell me why.”

“No, Stiles. Rule Five states that one of us can end this arrangement without explanation at any time. I can’t do this anymore, Stiles.” Derek rubs the back of his neck. “I know that this might be a little confusing for you, but I just… I can’t.”

Stiles sits down on the edge of his bed. He feels tears burning in his eyes, but he will _not_ let Derek see him cry. “Okay.”

“Okay,” Derek echoes. “You remember the last part of Rule Five?”

“We’ll delete each other’s phone numbers and cease contact,” Stiles says, but it doesn’t sound like his voice belongs to him. It sounds empty. He glances over to his phone. “Mine is dead. I’ll… I’ll delete it after I’ve charged it.”

“It was nice while it lasted, Stiles.”

Stiles nods. He doesn’t know what else to say. Derek ended things. Just like that, everything is over. Stiles feels numb. He doesn’t look at Derek when he whispers, “I’ll see you around.”

“No,” Derek murmurs back. “This has to be a clean break, Stiles. Good… good luck with everything, okay?”

“Okay,” Stiles repeats.

He doesn’t watch Derek leave him alone in his room. He hears the click of the door shutting behind him and then Stiles curls up in the fetal position on his bed. He grabs the pillow that Derek always slept on and clings to it.

The tears burn his eyes, the sobs shake his body, and he has never felt so lost or confused. Tonight, Stiles was going to tell Derek he wanted to burn the official rules. The ones they wrote down a year and a half ago. The ones they signed and dated. As if they were a contract.

Stiles doesn’t know what to do now.

Derek has become such an important part of his life, and he’s gone. Just like that. Without an explanation. Stiles always knew this day would come. He buries his face into Derek’s pillow and inhales. He’s never going to smell Derek again. They won’t talk. They won’t laugh together. They won’t chase each other around the apartment. No more walks through the park. No more afternoon Netflix marathons. No more waking up to find Derek cooking in the kitchen.

Derek left.

 _Derek_ left.

Derek _left_.

_Derek left._

The thought repeats itself over and over in his mind, but Stiles can’t fathom it. How could it all be done? How could Derek leave him broken hearted like this? How could everything come crashing down so quickly?

But it makes sense now.

Derek has been working himself up to this for a while now. The last two weeks, Derek has been quieter than usual. Stiles has chalked it up to stress at work, but now he knows. Derek has wanted to leave him for at least two weeks now.

The thought crushes him.

He can’t breathe.

“Stiles. Stiles, Stiles, it’s going to be okay. It’s going to be okay. We’re here. We’ve got you.”

He hears Lydia’s voice. He feels Scott curl up beside him to hold him. But it all feels so far away.

“Let it out.”

“We’ve got you, buddy.”

“I’m going to kill him, Scott.”

“Me too.”

Stiles disconnects with the world around him. He squeezes his eyes shut. _Derek come back. Tell me this is all a horrible dream. Derek don’t leave me. Please, Derek. Don’t leave me. This isn’t real. This is a bad dream. Stiles, wake up. Stiles, WAKE UP._

He can’t wake up if he’s already awake.

 

**☆ ☾ ☆**

 

“Hey, handsome,” Erica’s voice comes suddenly. It’s soft, and it gets Stiles’ attention. He turns to look at her. She looks pretty today. He wants to tell her but his mouth is dry and no words would come out anyway. “It’s been two weeks. The office needs you to come back. Do you think you can do that?”

Stiles doesn’t blink. Simply stares at her.

Erica sighs. “Yeah, okay. Don’t worry, we’ve got you. Kira and Malia have been helping me cover your stuff. You take as long as you need.”

Stiles looks down at his hands. Hands that Derek once held.

“I made tea.” Stiles doesn’t look at Boyd. Everything in him screams. He wants to ask Boyd how Derek’s doing so badly, but he won’t. Boyd puts a hand on Stiles’ shoulder. “You’re going to get through this.”

Stiles accepts the tea and stares at it. It’s too hot to drink. But what does that matter anymore?

He lifts it to his lips.

“Stiles, wait!”

He sips. His mouth should hurt. But it doesn’t. It doesn’t because his chest aches in a way that makes everything else seem like nothing. He closes his eyes. Maybe he’ll regret burning his mouth tomorrow but… right now, he doesn’t really care.

Erica takes the mug from him. “Stiles, you’ll make it worse.”

It doesn’t matter.

Nothing matters.

“Erica, can I have a minute alone with Stiles?” She leaves. At least, she must, because then Boyd puts his fingers under Stiles’ chin and moves his face so they’re looking at each other. “I don’t know what happened between you two. I don’t want to know. But I think it’s important for you to know that Derek is having an equally hard time with this.”

Stiles blinks. His voice is harsh and raspy and cracks when he says, “But he ended it.”

Boyd nods, his expression serious. “I know. But he’s hurting too.”

“Really?”

“Really.” Boyd wraps his arms around Stiles and gives him a tight hug. Stiles lets himself sag against Boyd. He squeezes his eyes shut.

Derek is hurting too.

It wasn’t a one-sided thing.

Somehow, Boyd’s right. It makes it easier to breathe.

 

**☆ ☾ ☆**

 

“Hey, man,” Scott greets with a quick hug. “Nice to see you up and about again. How are you holding up?”

Stiles unclenches his jaw and stretches it before he says, “My mouth hurts.”

“Erica told us about the tea incident,” Allison says, poking her head out from behind Scott. She wraps her arms around him. “You’ll get through this, Stiles.”

“Thanks, Ally.” Stiles opens his water bottle and takes a sip. “Sorry for becoming a zombie…”

“Anytime,” Scott says. “I mean, not anytime. I’d rather you didn’t become a zombie but...we’re here for you anytime.”

Stiles gives him a quick smile. “Do you guys know if Lydia’s going to be home tonight?”

“Uh,” Allison says, glancing quickly at Scott. “She’s out with Cora, actually.”

“Oh.” Stiles’ shoulders fall. “Whatever. I should get caught up on some laundry tonight anyway. You guys going out with Isaac tonight?”

“Is that okay? Would you rather we stay home, buddy? We can do that--”

“Nah, Scott. I’ll be fine. Seriously. Go have fun with your boyfriend.” Stiles chugs some more water and when neither of them responds, he lowers his bottle and looks at them. “What?”

“You called Isaac my boyfriend?” Scott says, giving Allison a worried look. She pats Scott’s hand.

“He’s stronger than you think. We won’t do any favours by keeping it from him,” Allison tells Scott. “Trust me. He can handle it.”

“Handle what?” Stiles asks, looking between them.

“Oh, uh, it’s just that… well, Allison and I are actually _dating_ Isaac.” Scott looks at Allison before letting out a breath. “I didn’t know how to tell you. You were dealing with your own--”

“Finally,” Stiles says. He grins. “I’m happy for you two. Seriously. Just because I got my heart trampled on doesn’t mean that I can’t be happy for two of my favourite people. Lahey has game, huh?”

“Hardly,” Allison replies with a laugh. “But he managed to weasel his way in anyway. Scott and I talked to him about it a week ago. It’s all very new.”

“Well, congratulations.” Stiles gives them both a quick hug. He puts on a smile that he knows doesn’t reach his eyes. “Seriously. It’s been a long time coming.”

“We love you, you know,” Scott murmurs.

“I know. Now, go enjoy your date with your boyfriend. I have a date with Netflix.” Stiles gives them a wink. He wanders into his bedroom and shuts the door.

His breathing is jagged, so he leans against the door until he’s even it out again. Stiles walks over to his night side table and picks up his phone. He scrolls down to open his conversation with Derek.

Stiles reads it over again.

 

 

 

> **Derek Booty Hale  
>  ** _4:43 PM_
> 
> hey stiles, was wondering if I could swing by around 6pm?
> 
>  
> 
> **Stiles  
>  ** _4:56 PM_
> 
> hell yeah, i’ll be home by then :)
> 
>  
> 
> **Derek Booty Hale  
>  ** _4:56 PM_
> 
> thanks. see you then.
> 
>  
> 
> _6:05 PM_
> 
> sorry, running a bit late
> 
>  
> 
> **Stiles  
>  ** _6:07 PM_
> 
> no rush!!! can’t wait to see you sex!
> 
>  
> 
> _6:07 PM_
> 
> lol that was supposed to say ‘sexy’ ;)
> 
>  
> 
> **Derek Booty Hale  
>  ** _6:17 PM_
> 
> is anyone else home?
> 
>  
> 
> **Stiles  
>  ** _6:17 PM_
> 
> nope :)
> 
>  
> 
> **Derek Booty Hale  
>  ** _6:19 PM_
> 
> just parked

 

Stiles inhales sharply. He’d been such an idiot. He’d been looking forward to having some lazy evening sex with Derek and watching some TV. Maybe cooking some food together. And instead, he missed the weird way Derek had been texting him. He should’ve known something was wrong. He’d been too excited to see him.

He exits the conversation.

One day, he’ll delete Derek’s number and the conversation.

Just not today.

 

**☆ ☾ ☆**

 

Stiles smiles when Erica sets down a drink in front of him. They’re celebrating her engagement to Boyd. He leans over and kisses her cheek.

“What was that for?”

“I’m happy for you. And I’m grateful we’re friends,” Stiles tells her. He lifts his drink and they tap their glasses together. “To you and Boyd.”

“I love you,” Erica tells him. She drops her voice and asks, “How are you holding up?”

“Erica, it’s been _six_ months,” Stiles says. He rolls his shoulders. “I’m fine. Seriously. I’m very happy for both of you. When is everyone else getting here?”

“Not for another half hour. I wanted to spend some time with just you. You’re my best friend, you know.” Erica smiles as she takes a sip from her cocktail.

“I love you too.” Stiles throws the rest of his whiskey back. “But I think I need another drink already. We’re here to celebrate!”

Erica laughs. “Hell yeah!”

By the time the rest of their friends start trickling in, Stiles has had two more drinks and a shot. He’s feeling good. He gets up and hugs everyone and then announces he’ll buy the next round. He doesn’t ask anyone what they want.

Stiles gets to the bar and turns around to count. Erica, Boyd, Lydia, Kira, Malia, Scott, Allison, Isaac, and Jackson. He spins back to the bartender. “Nine tequila shots please!”

He walks back to the table with the tray and carefully sets it down on the table. Everyone has a shot except him. Stiles laughs. “Oops, I guess I forgot to count myself. Go, go, take it. I’ll be back.”

Stiles explains that he forgot about himself at the bar.

“Can I get one too?”

That voice. He knew Derek would be here tonight. Stiles takes a shaky breath before daring to look at him. Derek’s let his beard grow in more. It makes Stiles’ knees weak.

“I’ll pay for them,” Derek tells the bartender. “Hi, Stiles.”

“Hi.”

They don’t say anything else. They quickly take their shot and Derek goes to join their friends. Stiles sits down on a stool and stares at his empty shot glass. His heart won’t quit racing.

“You’re the guy who broke my big brother’s heart, huh?”

Stiles turns to look at a beautiful woman. She looks like Derek. Same dark hair, same piercing eyes. “He broke mine. Stiles.”

He holds his hand out. She shakes it. “Cora. Lydia tells me you’ve had a rough time with things.”

“It’s been six months,” Stiles says, looking back for his glass. The bartender has already cleared it and wiped down the section of the bar. He sighs.

“Do you love him?” Cora asks.

Stiles lets a laugh escape his lips. He leans his head back to look at the ceiling. It’s kind of gross and could probably use a good cleaning. There are cobwebs and weird stains. But that’s not the point. Cora just asked him if he loves her brother. He exhales. “Yeah. Yeah, I do.”

“Good.”

Stiles looks at her. “Good?”

“Yeah. My brother deserves for someone to be in love with him, don’t you think?” Cora smiles at the bartender. Stiles watches her give him money and then she pushes another shot in front of him. “Shall we?”

He can’t say no to either question. They share a shot and then Stiles leaves the bar. He orders an Uber and waits in the chilly air for it to arrive.

 

 

 

> **Stiles to stberica  
>  ** _11:29 PM_
> 
> sorry guys, i don’t want to bail on your engagement celebrations but i don’t think i should hang around. i’m getting an uber home. i love you both so much and i’m so happy for you!
> 
>  
> 
> **Erica to stberica  
>  ** _11:31 PM_
> 
> don’t sweat it, stiles. thank you for trying <3 i love you.
> 
>  
> 
> _11:32 PM_
> 
> it’s part of the reason I wanted to spend time with you before everyone else got here… i knew it was gonna be tough
> 
>  
> 
> **Boyd to stberica  
>  ** _11:34 PM_
> 
> I forgot this group chat existed, to be honest. I still think stberica is a stupid name. But that aside, we love you, Stiles. Thanks for trying. Feel better.
> 
>  
> 
> **Stiles to stberica  
>  ** _11:47 PM_
> 
> well idk what else to name this group chat, man. stberica at least combines all our names
> 
>  
> 
> _1:23 AM_
> 
> I love you
> 
>  
> 
> **Erica to stberica  
>  ** _2:36 AM_
> 
> we love you too!!!!
> 
>  
> 
> _2:37 AM_
> 
> and FYI derek didn’t hang along for much longer after you left
> 
>  
> 
> _2:39 AM_
> 
> he’s still hurting too
> 
>  
> 
> **Boyd to stberica  
>  ** _3:43 AM_
> 
> did cora say something to you?
> 
>  

Stiles rolls over and closes his eyes. He wishes sleep would take him by now. Instead, he lies awake wondering how everything got so messed up. Stiles would do anything to get back to that happy place he and Derek had been for a little while.

Maybe he wouldn’t fuck it up this time.

 

**☆ ☾ ☆**

 

When drunk Stiles stumbles into the living room a few weeks later after a night out with Lydia, Cora, Kira, and Malia, he crashes on the couch and struggles to get his phone from the pocket of his skinny jeans. “A-ha!”

He holds his phone up, triumphantly.

Lydia and Cora giggle. “Love you, Stiles!”

“Love you, Lyds!” he calls out with a salute from his spot on the couch. He smiles as the two of them rush down the hall and into Lydia’s bedroom. There was a time that _he_ was that happy. Stiles should have appreciated it more.

He pulls open his old conversation with Derek.

 

 

 

> **Stiles  
>  ** _2:56 AM_
> 
> hi
> 
>  
> 
> **Derek Hale  
>  ** _8:21 AM_
> 
> Sorry, who’s this?

 

**☆ ☾ ☆**

 

“I don’t understand.”

Stiles looks up from the kitchen table. “There’s nothing to understand, Cora.”

“You’re _still_ in love with my brother,” Cora says, giving Lydia a quick kiss on the cheek. She leans against the counter as Lydia chops up some veggies. “But you won’t tell him.”

“Because  _he_ ended it,” Stiles reminds her. He looks at Scott and Allison. “Help, please?”

“Cora, maybe you shouldn’t…” Scott starts, trailing off. Stiles watches as Scott looks at him with curiosity. “ _Why_ won’t you tell him?”

“He ended it. He did! He obviously doesn’t--”

“He’s miserable!” Cora protests. “I know you can’t picture that because as you said, he ended things. But he’s just as miserable as you are. Ask anyone who sees him. He’s a grumpy recluse who refuses to do anything fun.”

Stiles sputters.

“He doesn’t join us in the living room anymore,” Allison says quietly. “Boyd’s been more worried about him than you.”

“It’s been weighing on him,” Lydia says. “And honestly, I’ve never seen Derek get this way before.”

“Uh, Kate?”

“It wasn’t the same,” Cora says, shaking her head. She walks over and sits down at the table. “Kate was horrible but when it was over, Derek felt relieved. He’s done a few years of therapy. He knows what he should do in order to move forward, but he’s just… stuck.”

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” Stiles objects. He pushes his chair back and stands up. “Derek made his decision. It’s been eight months. If he has any regrets, he could’ve done _anything_ else instead of radio silence. It’s done, guys. Please leave it. I’m going to try to move on, and frankly, so should you.”

Stiles grabs his cell phone, his keys, and a sweater. He leaves the apartment and instantly regrets it. He knows his friends are only trying to help. It doesn’t matter that Stiles is in love with Derek. Derek is most definitely not in love with him.

No matter what their friends say.

He hesitates before sending Kira and Malia an email excusing himself from the office tomorrow. They’ll manage without him. They always do. Stiles doesn’t know what he’s going to do, but he’ll figure something out.

Stiles wanders through the nearby park. He smiles when a dog runs up to greet him. He bends down to give the black lab some scratches. “Hello you, aren’t you a friendly one?”

“Oh god, I’m sorry. Theodore’s lead slipped through my hands,” a woman’s voice comes. Stiles glances up. She looks like an older Cora. She has Derek’s nose. His lips part. “He loves making new friends.”

“Uh, yeah.” Stiles straightens. “He’s really cute.”

“Did you get him?”

Stiles spins around. Derek freezes. And Derek’s older sister, Laura, says, “Yeah, he got distracted by this cutie. I’m Laura.”

“Stiles,” he says without looking at her. He gives Derek a slight nod. “Enjoy the rest of your day.”

“You...you too,” Derek mumbles. He walks up beside his sister. “Laura, c’mon.”

“It was nice to meet you, Stiles.” Laura says, but Stiles watches Derek grab his sister’s arm and lead her away. Stiles hears her say, “You’re right. This park really was worth the drive over. I’m glad we came.”

He doesn’t hear Derek’s response.

 

**☆ ☾ ☆**

 

Stiles is sitting on the couch watching another episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine when his friends come home from their double date. He hears Scott’s laugh first. “That’s hilarious. It’s like that meme with the thing--”

“I love that meme!” Cora squeals, before the two of them dissolve into giggles. It probably makes more sense with context, but Stiles has no idea how they immediately know what the other is thinking. Cora has somehow grown close. She’s part of the group now. Lydia seems happy, as evident by the smile she gives Cora as she sits down in one of the chairs.

“Hey,” Lydia says, her eyes softening. She knows it’s not always easy for him to be around couples.

“Hey. How was dinner?” he asks, his voice light and breezy. He can be chill about this. Really.

“Great,” Allison says. She plops down on the couch beside him, setting her hand on his knee. “We dropped Isaac off on the way home. He has an early shift tomorrow, but he says hi.”

Stiles laughs. “Fucking Lahey. Trying to score brownie points with me.”

“He loves you,” Scott calls out from the fridge. “And I think you like him too.”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever.” Stiles bumps Allison’s shoulder. “As long as he makes you two happy.”

“He does,” Allison says. Her eyes search his. “Who makes you happy, Stiles?”

The room falls quiet. Cora takes a seat on Lydia’s lap and they both watch him just as carefully as Allison does. He feels like his heart has jumped into his throat, becoming all tied up in knots. His lips part and he’s ready to tell her that his friends make him happy. It’s not a lie. They do.

But that’s not what Allison’s asking.

Stiles jerks back against the couch as if the wind has been knocked out of him. It kind of has. He stands up, grabbing his stuff, and pulls on his shoes. As he does a little jump to get one on, Cora asks, “Where are you going?”

“Stiles, it was just a question, I’m sorry--”

“I’m going to tell Derek.”

He barely registers his friends’ cheers as he rushes down the hall. He stabs the elevator button far too many times, but he waits impatiently. He’s not about to run down the stairs. Stiles is in a rush but he’s not about to lose his momentum.

His Jeep starts up, purring like a kitten. He smiles. “Thank you.”

Getting across town isn’t so bad. It’s Sunday evening, so most people are home. He hopes that Derek’s home. He should’ve called Boyd or something. It doesn’t matter though.

Stiles bangs on Derek’s window from the fire escape. No one comes. He jogs down the fire escape and rides the elevator. He knocks on the front door. He’s shaking. This is too much. This is _everything._ He’s doing it. He’s really doing this.

Except no one answers.

Stiles leans against the door and slides down. He pulls his knees up to his chest. _Fuck._ So much for the perfect, dramatic announcement. He’ll have to wait for Derek to come home.

 

**☆ ☾ ☆**

 

He nods off. He can’t believe he falls asleep, but he’s startled awake when he hears Derek’s voice as he exits the elevator down the hall. A woman who isn’t one of his sisters follows him. Derek freezes when he sees Stiles.

“Stiles. What are you doing here?”

“Derek, I…” but his words dry up. It doesn’t matter that he’d spent an hour repeating a speech in his mind. He wants to make a big announcement, but… Derek is coming home from a date.

“Caitlin,” Derek says to the woman beside him. “I know I invited you back but--”

She smiles. “Don’t worry about it, Derek. You were a lovely date, but it was never going to turn into anything serious. Good luck with your ex-boyfriend.”

Then she goes on her tiptoes and kisses his cheek. Derek smiles at her. “Thanks.”

“I think I’ll take the stairs down.”

She pushes a door and disappears. Stiles still has no idea what to say. He scrambles to stand up. “Derek, I’m sorry, I didn’t--”

“What are you doing here, Stiles?”

“I want to update the terms on our agreement.”

Derek glances at him, but moves past to unlock the apartment door and enter his place. Stiles hesitates but follows when Derek holds the door open for him.

“Update it to what, Stiles?”

“I want a new rule.”

Derek sighs and tosses his keys on the counter in the kitchen. He pulls his jacket off. “And what rule is that?”

“That we both put the effort into building a serious relationship,” Stiles says. Derek stops moving for the first time. He slowly turns around from the living room to stare at where Stiles stands by the front door. “I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you, Derek. And I think you might be in love with me.”

“That breaks _all_ the rules,” Derek tells him.

“I know. I vote we burn the other rules.” Stiles swallows, crossing the apartment towards Derek. He tentatively reaches for one of Derek’s hands. “I thought it was ridiculous that I was in love with you when I didn’t know you. We only had a sexual relationship. But then I realized that I think I know you better than I know myself. You ended things because you developed feelings.”

“Yeah. And I didn’t think you did,” Derek whispers. His voice cracks slightly. “I’ve had my heart broken before, Stiles. But with you it was…”

“Devastating.”

“Yeah,” Derek murmurs. “I wanted to tell you. I did. Our friends all told me that you were having a rough time and that you… you felt the same way, but I didn’t really believe them. And then when I thought maybe they were right, it was too late.”

Stiles’ lips slowly curl into a smile. He shakes his head. “Wow. We’re a mess, aren’t we? I’m in love with you, Derek. Better late than never.”

“I’m in love with you too.” Derek swallows. “I’m so in love with you. I think I was in love with you when you said, in the utmost serious tone I have literally _ever_ heard, ‘If you were a flower, you’d be a _damn_ -delion.’ It was the worst pick up line I’ve ever heard.”

“Then why did you take me home?!”

“Because it was also said by the hottest guy there.” Derek steps forward, his grip on Stiles’ hand tightening. “And because it was so endearing. I felt like you meant it. Then you said yes and… Stiles, I never wanted those stupid rules. But they seemed important to you, so I went with it.”

Stiles lets out a small breathy laugh. “They were important to me because I thought if we kept having banging hot sex, you would maybe, I don’t know, fall in love with me or something. I didn’t want you to be another one-night stand. I...I felt something that first night. I wanted to explore it.”

Derek rests his forehead against Stiles’ and asks, “We’re doing this, huh?”

“I’m in if you are.”

“I’m in. But this new rule of yours? Let’s not break it this time,” Derek whispers.

“Deal,” Stiles agrees. Their lips touch and he’s home again.

 

 **☆ ☾ ☆**  
  
****

**Author's Note:**

> i wasn't technically participating in nano, but i hit over 50k in the first 11 days of November with TW fic, so yay?!
> 
> \shrug/
> 
> also the tea thing that stiles does? i did that when i got my heart broken
> 
> EDIT: due to some people telling me that they hated the ending of this fic and a lil train of people who agree, I will not be writing any more TW fic.
> 
> please exit the fic if you didn't like it. save your breath. and don't ruin someone else's day.
> 
> fan fiction is supposed to be fun. please don't ruin it for other people. 
> 
> not that I need to defend myself, but the reason I had derek go on a date with caitlin is simply because of this: eight months had passed. people don't always wait. people move on or they try to. _people are flawed._ where stiles obsessed, derek tried to forget. and they don't communicate because that was part of the rule and they're idiots in love. people make mistakes. people fuck up. but I thought it was clear that at the end of the day, these two are going to work on their relationship and work on communicating and BUILDING a relationship. these were all very deliberate choices.
> 
> EDIT 2: For me - this is my idea/headcanon because I didn't incorporate any of this into the fic because for me, that's not what it was about. It's about Stiles and his journey. Derek has his own.
> 
> Derek realizes he's developed feelings and he thinks it's best to abide the rules. He views Stiles being upset about their breakup as an "he'll just miss me for my body" kind of thing because he's been hurt before and the whole situation raises a lot of insecurities for him. Kate told him how much she cared, but then she betrayed him. Derek doesn't trust himself to believe that Stiles cares. He doesn't know how to handle seeing Stiles. He doesn't really believe his friends when they say that Stiles has feelings for him too, because he figures they're just trying to make him feel better. He decides it's best to move on and forget Stiles; a contrast to how Stiles' obsesses. So, he does what he thinks he has to. He goes on a date. Invites her up. There's never a guarantee that they're going to have sex. Imo, he probably would've politely told her to leave. But he feels like he has to try to move on. It's been eight months. And when he sort of maybe believes that Stiles could possibly have feelings for him too? He assumes it's too late and punishes himself by not reaching out because he doesn't feel like he deserves Stiles.
> 
> I know none of that is written. But that's what was going through my mind when I wrote it. And Stiles simply can't know/see that until they talk about it. But I didn't want to drag it on and I personally felt that the fic itself came to a natural ending where one can assume they talk it through since their new rule is working on building their relationship, which includes communication, trust, and honesty.
> 
> but if you hate it, exit the tab.
> 
> (thank you @defenselesswriter for your comments when you didn't have to.)


End file.
